Camera traps in the canopy: surveying wildlife at tree hollow entrances
Nigel Cotsell A B C and Karl Vernes B
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations
A Coffs Harbour City Council, Biodiversity Unit, 2 Castle Street, Coffs Harbour, NSW 2450, Australia.
B University of New England, Ecosystem Management, Armidale, NSW 2351, Australia.
C Corresponding author. Email: nigelcotsell@gmail.com
Pacific Conservation Biology 22(1) 48-60 https://doi.org/10.1071/PC15030
Submitted: 24 September 2015 Accepted: 9 February 2016 Published: 15 March 2016
Abstract
This is the first comprehensive camera trap study to examine hollow usage by wildlife in the canopy of trees. Eighty cameras directed at tree hollows were deployed across eight sites in nine species of eucalypt in north-east New South Wales. In total, 38 species (including 21 birds, 9 mammals and 8 reptiles) were recorded at hollow entrances over a three-month period. There was a significant difference between wildlife hollow usage associated with site disturbance and tree growth stage (ANOSIM, P > 0.05); however, there was no significant difference associated with tree hollow diameter (ANOSIM, P > 0.05). The level of anthropogenic disturbance at each site, including vegetation modification of the understorey, was a significant predictor of species presence. Despite the limitations of using camera traps in the canopy of trees this study demonstrates the potential to garner useful insights into the ecology and behaviour of arboreal wildlife.
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